Manufacture of inlaid linoleum and the like



Feb. 7, 1933.

H. MONTGOMERY MANUFACTURE OF INLAID LINOLE'UM AND THE LIKE Filed Oct. 9, 1951 6 Sheets-Sheet l V Feb. 7, 1933. H. MONTGOMERY MANUFACTURE OF INLAID LINOLEUM AND THE LIKE Filed Oct. 9, 1931 6 Sheets-Sheet 2 Feb. 7, 1933. H. MONTGOMERY ,9 7

MANUFACTURE INLAID LINOLEUM AND THE LIKE Filed Oct. 9, 1931 6 Sheets-Sheet 5 Feb. 7, 1933- MONTGQMERY 1,896,967

I MANUFACTURE OF INLAID LINOLEUMYAND THE LIKE F iled Oct. 9, 1931 6 Sheets-Sheet 4 1933. H. MONTGOMERY ,8 ,9

MANUFACTURE OF INLAID LINOLEUM AND THE LIKE Filed Oct. 9, 1951 6 Sheets-Sheet 5 .X/ 1 15 at? W y J2 47 Feb. 7, 1933. MONTGOMERY 1,896,967

MANUFACTURE OF INLAID LINOLEUM AND THE LIKE Filed Oct. 9, 1931 6 Sheets-Sheet 6 WW J Patented Feb. 7, 1933 UNITED STATES HARRY MONTGOMERY, OF'LONDON, ENGLAND, ASSIG LNOR TO THE GBEENWIOH INLA ID LINOLEUM (FREDERICK WALTONS NEW PATENTS) COMPANY LIMITED, OF LONDON,

ENGLAND, .A. BRITISH ,COMPANY MANUFACTURE orjmm rn LINOLEUM AND THE LIKE Application fiIedOctober 9, 1931, Serial No. 567,925, and in. Great Britain February 12, 1931.

This invention relates to the manufacture of inlaid linoleum and other inlaid fabrics for which material similar to linoleum material is or may be employed, and especially to that method of manufacture known as the cut or straight line method when carried out by machinery by which pieces of the material are cut by rotary means (such as a rotary cylinder or roll having knives on its circumferential part) the cutting of the pieces and their assembly in proper position to form the pattern takingplace in a continuous manner.

Itis sometimes required to produce a pattern in which some or all of the pieces inlaid have a veined or grained appearance such as to imitate wood or marble or veined tiles or to give a moire or jasp effect. All such 'effects are hereinafter referred to as graining. It is hardly feasible, however, to produce the graining in the sheets of material to be cut otherwise than in a direction substantially longitudinal, that is, parallel to the side edges substantially longitudinal to the edges of the inlaid sheet, with the consequence' that a proper imitation of parquetry or of a floor of veined tiies or pieces of marble or other I veined effect or the like could not be produced by such machinery, because in all such and similar cases the direction of the graining in some of the tessels should be diiferent from that in others, and in some cases, such as imitation herringbone parquetry, none ofthe tessels should have their graining in a direc tion parallel to the side edges of the inlaidsheet. The main object of the present invention is to provide in a simple manner for the turning in an appropriate way of those tessels which are of material in which the graining is not in the direction which it is desired that thegrained tessels cut from it shall have when inlaid. i

According to'the invention those of the cut PATENT o-Fi-"ics r tessels to be turned are transferred from the r rotary cutting meansto devices provided in the machine which turn the tessels in "such I manner as to turnthe direction of their graining to the appropriate degree, from which devices the turned tesselsare transferred to and disposed on the assembling or inlayi'ng surface in their turned positions andcorrect situations as components of the pattern. a The turning devices preferably consist of plates or discs each capable'of accommodating on its surface a tessel or tessels, either flatwise': or curved,the said tessel or tessels being such as are requiredto be turned, and in the opera tion of the machine the said devices are caused to travel at the same surface speed as the rotary cutting means, each tessel or :tessels to be turned being transferred from the'knives that have cut'it or them to one ofthe plates or discs. During the travelof the turning devices after receiving the tessels to be turned, they are in the operation of the machine turned with the'tessels on them, and in the continuance of their travel the turned tessels are caused to leavethe devices and are disposed in proper position for the pattern, on the travelling surface (here- 'inafter referred to as the assembly surface) on which the tessels are assembled to form the pattern and whichis usually the travelling backing fabric or an intermediate surface from which the assembled tessels pass onto the backing. Finally the whole is 'confsolidated by heat and pressure as 'is"well I understood.

' In order that the said invention may clearly understood andreadily, carried into gex'amples of means for V 1 of the said Figure 3 is an end section of the turning cylinder. 8

Figure 4 represents a portion of the surface of the said cylinder.

Figure 5 is a sectional view taken on the line 55 in Figure 4.

Figure 6 is a plan of the base plate of av turning device.

Figure 7 1s a in Figure 3.

'1 Figure 8 is a similar detail view of the re-' vers ng cam guide seen in Figure 3.

Figure 9 represents the profile of a cam for turning a tessel to the extent of 90.

Figure 10 represents the profile'of a cam for turning a te'ssel 45. i

i Figures 22 and which can be produced by the apparatus described. c I a i Figure 24 is a diagram illustrating the use Figures 11 to 18 are ing modified arrangementsof apparatus us ingone or more turning cylinders;

Figure-19 is a diagram representing an arrangement in which abelt is'used for turningthe tessels.

Figure 20 is adetail of the belt in cross sec-' tion.:- v g c a Figure 21 is a plan of thesurface of the belta 23 are examples of patterns of turningicylinders in a machine wherein the assembly surface travelsxon a flat bed.

i Figure 25 is a'diagram illustrating the use of turning cyl nders in a machine wherein the assembly surface is a cylindrical drum carrying the backing cloth in the known manner.

Referrin'gto the apparatus illustrated in Figures l to 10, the sheet of material31 coming from the calender'rollers (not shown) is passed around the cutting roll or platen 32 and between thesaid cutting roll and'the knife cylinder 33 which is provided with the usual v adjusts, viz :'stubbing brush '34, plush roll 35, lubricating roll 36, inlaying roll 37, waste roll 38, Waste brush 39 and waste conveyor 40, all these parts being of known between the knife cylinder 33 and the drum 4 1 to effect the turning. of thetessels before they are deposited on thesu rface of the said 7 druin.- wheel 43 (Figure2 onthe shaft of the drum '41 drives through spur wheels 44, 45" and 46a spur wheel 47 on sleeveor a hollow journal 50 on the turning cylinder 42. g -A' spur wheel on the-knife cylinder, 33 is drivenby a spur wheel 49011 the sleeve=50 and I 65 ithekn'ife cylinderdrives by friction" the cuttingroll:32.* l

detail illustrating the cam guide in elevation at a right angle tothe view dia rams re resent- On the surface of the cylinder 42 are a number of plates or discs 51 each adapted to receive from the knife cylinder 33 one or more tessels which are retained on the said disc 51 by means of staple pins .52 (Figures 4 and 5) projecting from the surfaceof the disc, and after being turned by the partial rotation of the disc are transferred to the assembly surface, that is, to the pin band drum 41. Except perhaps in the case of tessels having comparatively small width (say about 1 inch to 2 inches) in the direction of action of themacliiiie, the plates or discs 51' should be of curvedv form at thepart'where they receivethe tessels if-they are travelling in a curved path of comparatively small radius at that part, and the same is true in regard tothe removal of the tessels from the turning devices, and the curve-of each plate or disc should be concentric with the curve 'ofits movement. Each disc 51 may bemade of rubber and strengthened by avery thin steel backing plate 53' (Figure 3) which maybe, say one'hundred-th of an inch thick, 7

that is, a quarter of a millimetre. This plate, on which rest the backs of the pins 52 projectingthrough the rubber, prevents friction between the rubber and a brass backing plate 54 secured to the cylinder 42 and forms ing a track onwhich the disc can rotate about the centre of the brass plate, the disc changing its shape as it rotates so that it is always bent in the running direction into a curve parallel with that of the brass plate, or concentric with the cylinder, but is straight in a direction at right angles to its-arc of travel, 7

that is, in alongitudinal direction-relatively to the cylinder; therefore the rubber s stretched so that the diameter of its surface on the straight line is equal to its length on the curve, inorder to avoid distortion of the llQ seated at 55'. The rubber disc 51 is'secured to 1 the thin steel backing plate 53 by short screws 56 which do not enter the brass backing. plate. '54, the rubber being further secured by a flangeor washer 57 surmounting the central spindle 58 of the disc. A number of screws lamination 5'5 of the brass backing plate, a

60 secured by nuts 61 sunk in recesses in the rubber d sc 51 are provided with heads 62 to travel in circular grooves 63 in the inner shouldered portion 64 of each screw travel ,7

liiig'in'narrower grooves 65 (Figurefi) of the 1 outer lamination 54 of the brass backing plate, the grooves 63' and 65 together constituting in effect an. undercut groove as before mentioned, the purpose ofthese screws '60 being to keep the turning device concentric with the cylinder" 42. p c 1 .or to transfer them from the turning pockets between the knives that have A cam is secured to the central spindle 58, for example by a screw 71 (Figure 5) so that the cam can be exchanged when it is desired to vary the extent of rotation of the tessel. The design of the cam depends-upon the extent of rotation desired; examples aregiven in Figures 9 and 10. The spindle 58 comprises a squared portion'FQ whichdengages a square hole in the'steel plate 53, a boss 73 (Figures 3 and 5) being brazed or otherwise secured to the steel plate at this part to strengthen it, so that the disc 51 rotated along with the spindle 58. Thespindle passes through a bearing 74 having flat ends at the point of its engagement with the shellof the cylinder42. A cam guide and a reversing cam guide 8l are support.- ed on a fixed shaft 82 in the turning cylinder l2, both these cam guides being rounded off at the leading edges as seen in Figures? and 8 respectively, that is, at the ends which the cam first engages in the rotation of the cylinder 42L It will be seen that when the turn ing cylinder revolves about. its fixed shaft 82, each cam in passing along the guide 80 1 effects the turning ofthe' disc 51 to the extent governed by the configuration of the cam, and on the continued revolution of the cylinder the guide 81 causes thecam to return to its previous position wherein the disc 51is ready to receive the next tessel from the knife cylinder 33, and to repeat the .turning movement.

.VVhere feasible 1t rectly from the rotary cutting means to the plates or discs, and the turned tessels transferred directly from'the plates or discs to the assemblysurface, which latter may be a pin hand drum as illustrated, or may be a them, on to the pins of the assembly surface, a' knife cylinder and associated devices being required for each variety of the elements in the pattern. .lVith the present in -vention such a knife CYllIlClflfCOflld directly inlay or deposit for assembly those of tessels which were not to be turned, andin the case of some patterns such a knife cyl inder and a set of turning devices would be needed for each variety of graining needed which. are to be is preferred that the tessels to be turned shall be transferred-difor the pattern. The presentinvention, however, in thecase of some patterns renders a plurality of such knife cylinders, or rotary cutting means unnecessary. For instance, .where all the tessels of the pattern are-to have the same kind of grain, but in the pattern some are to have it in the original direction and the others in another direction, as in Figure 22, they may all be cut from one sheet by the in the pattern with their grain unchanged can be inlaid or deposited for assembly directlyfromthe knife cylinder or through an intermediate device," and the'other tessels are e1ected from the knives and transferred to the turning devices and turned and deposited on the assembly surface, through an intermediate transferring device if one be not employed between the cylinder and assembly surface. Again, with the present invention even'when noneof the tessels are to be assembled with their grain unchanged and the gra ning 1s to be changed in two directions or to two angles, patterns could be produced from one sheet of material with one knife cylinder by the use of two sets of turning devices co-operating therewith, one set elfecting turning of certain of the tessels in one direction in which they are subsequently assembled or inlaid and the other set of devices turnin the remainin M b one cylinder, those tessels tessels in another direction} or to another d e- I gree after which they are assembled-or inlaid. The two sets of turning devices would be located respectively to each side of theanis of the knife cylinder. With two sets of turning devices to the one knife cylinder, some tessels from the latter might be used in an unturned conditlon 1n the manner fitfOIQSilltl, so that a pattern although cut from one'sheet only mayhave three varieties of direction of graining, although in such a case intermediate transferring devices-would be needed either in association withieach set of turning devices-or between the knife cylinder and the assembly surface. Further, different varieties of direction of graining may be obtained with the use of one set of turning devices by arranging some of the cams onthe spindles or stems of the turning devices at different angles from others in the same set, by which means some of the turning devices would turned to a greater degree than others.

Instances of such arrangements are represented diagrammatically in Figure 11, where an intermediate cylinder is placed between the knife cylinder anclturniug cylinder, and.

in Figure 12 where an intermediate cyli: der 91 1s placed between the turning; cylin der 42 and the assembly surface 41; In 9- ure 13the knife cylinder33 is arranged to liver some tessels directly to the assembly tessels are taken from the knife-cylinder by the turning cylinder {12 and passed by grainsurface without being turnedywhile other tel-mediatecylinder 92 to the assembly surface 41. In Figure 14 there are two turning cylinders 42 and 93, each of which receives a selected series of tessels from the kni e cylinder, and after these tessels have been turned to different degrees in the respective turningvcylinders'they are delivered to the assembly surface 41. In the arrangement represented in Figure lti there are two cutting rolls 32 and 94, each associated with a knife, cylinder, the two knife cylinders being indicated respectively by the numerals 33 and 95, the knife cylinder 33 delivering unturned tessels directly to the assembly surface 41, while the knife cylinder 95 delivers Jtesse-ls to the cylinder 42, which after turning them places them on the assembly surface 41. Referring to Figure 16,,the knife cylinder'delivers selected tessels to the turn- 99) for delivering tessels turned'to different I degrees on to one assembly surface 41, In

Figure 18 the tessels'from a single knife cylinder 33 are distributed between two turning cylinders (42, 101) and one intermediate-cylinder (102 ,the last three devices delivering tessels three different positions relatively to the directionof travel on to an assembly surface41. The devices receiving tessels must in all Icases be mov ng, at the point where the transfer takes place, in the "same direction and at the same speed as the devices from which the tessels are transferred. The moving crev ces are provided with means, for nstance p1ns, to hold the r tessels, and the respective sets of pins which penetrate the tessels' at successive stages in I 7 their travel should relatively lIlCl'QflSC'lfl efmoval.

fectiveness during the sequence of steps, so that pins intended to remove tessels may not be-prevented from doing so by the action of the pins which Instead of theiturning devices being carried'by a rotary cylinder, they may be car-.

ried" by a travelling belt mounted on and driven by rollers or the like, and suitably geared in the'machin'e. Figures 19 to 21 illustrate an example of sucha modified ar rangement. The belt 142 may be made substantially of rubber with metal bearings for the spindles58 of the turning devices:51, or

it may be made of'metal' links or elements jointedtogether, the spindle of each turning device being then conveniently mounted'in one of the'said metal links. 7

operate with fixed cam guides 180. Where The cams 7 0 co b the turning'devices receive the tessels to be turned while passing over one of the rollers are holding them prior to reor the like carrying the belt or movein a curved path at that part,or do so where the tessels are removed from thedevices after' turning, or both, suitable devices may be provided for causing the plates or disks to take a curved form at that part or those parts for the reasons explained. In the case of a belt,

however, where the tessels to be turned are of such size that they cannot be disposed properly on the plates or discs or removed therefro-m while the plates or discs are flat although movingin a curved path at those parts, it is preferred that the arrangement should be such that the turning devices receive the tessels to be turned and deliver them at parts of the path of the belt where it is in a substantially straight direction, and. to mount the belt on three pairs of supporting or driving rollers 143, 144, 145 or the like to afford two conveniently disposed substantially straight portions in its path of movement. In this way the plates or discs mayv be used inthefiat form. As the belt at these portions is not directly supported by its driving rollers or the like, additional rollers are provided at the reception and delivery parts of the path against which the inner side, or

part of the inner side, of the belt may bear. Where, with such an arrangement, the turned tessels are to be transferred directly from the turning devices to an assembly surface which is fiat or has a curveof large radius at that, part, the additional roller mustbe disposed nearer to the surface than the periphery ofthat roller or the like over which the belt passes before it reaches the said additional roller, in order that the flat plates or discs with the'turned tessels 011 them may be quite clear of the surface on which they are to be received before they reach the additional roller where they are forced onto the pins of'the assembly surface. In such a case therefore the belt has a'slightly angular instead'of a strictly straight path of movement between the two supporting rollers or the like between which the removalof the pieces takes place. The stationary cam and guide surfaces in a pair of such guide surfaces would extend along and within almost the whole of the path of the belt to co-act vwith cams 7 0 at the inner parts of the spindles or stems 58, and where the cam and guide surfaces are at those parts of :the said path which pass partly around rollers or the like, sufi'icienly deep circumf'er- V ential groves are provided in the rollers or the like, to accommodate the portions of the'cam and guide surfaces there'located and to allow passage of the inner parts of the'spindles or stems. i

I belt arrangement'are arranged to act similarly V as in the cylinder'arrangement so that each In all cases the tessels to be turned may be 7 conveniently removed from the rotary cutting means onto the turning devices or intermediate device by e ect1ngmeans which'act automatically to select 'and eject those particular tessels to be turned, andwhen the rotary cutting means consists of the usual knife cylinder, which is preferred, the selective ejecting means employed may be similar to those at present used in the method referred to for ejecting from the cylinder those out pieces 7 which are not to beused for the pattern.

It is preferable (although not necessary in some cases) that each plate or disc of the ble or tile patterns and would also enable each plate or disc to be ofmaximu'm size. compared to the distance between the rows. The plates or discs may, however,be arranged in the ordinary manner in -circumferential rows, and this might enable them.

to be used for a greater variety of patterns, but their diameters or widths as compared to the distance between the rows would be less than in the staggered arrangement. A range of adaptability forvarious patterns may also .be afforded in some cases .by mounting the sev- 'eral turning devlcesin such a way that each or some of them may be readily removable from the cylinder or band carrying them, and providlng a maximum of bearlngs 1n the cyl- 40 index or band, because by such means .therelative positions of the several plates or discs' could be changed, and theshape and size of the plates used could be changed, whereby their number could be varied, the fixed cam and guide surfaces or the like being suitably re-arranged or changed if necessary, butv in some cases it might be feasible to provide a suflioient number of such surfaces arranged to provide surfaces for several changes. It

has to be borne in mind that when tessels such as rectangular pieces to imitate herring= bone parquetry are turned for the pattern as necessary, they occupy a different angular position on the assembly surface in comparison with their position as they are cut, so

that when designing such a pattern and the cutting and turning means for it, regard must be paid to this consideration. It may be here remarked that it is not essential that the centres or middles of the cut tessels when on the turning devices coincide with the axes of the respective plates or discs carrying them, and the arrangement may be such that the centre of each turning device does not coincide with thecentre or middle of the space between the knives from which the tessel is to be transferred, in which case the tessel to be turned would not be disposed symmetrically on the plate or disc of the turning device. In some cases this may be of use in designing for the production of a certain pattern. V

In the "arrangement illustrated diagram m'atically in Figure 24, two sets of calender rollers are indicated generally at 201' and 202, delivering sheets of material 31 and 231 to cutting rolls 32 and 232 associated with knife cylinders 33 and 238 and turning cylg inders 42 and 242, the latter delivering tessels directly on to afbacki'ngj cloth 241 which" constitutes the assembly surface, andis car rled by an endless supporting surface 203 passing around rotary carrying means .204,

205, and over supporting rollers 206,207. The sheet of linoleumjwhen the pattern there of has been completed passes to theiusual pressing machine 208 and is coiled in the,

usual manner into a roll 209. a

By the present invention the continuit of the method may be preserved and by efibct ing the turning after thetessels to be turned have been removedjfrom the rotary cutting means, tho'se'means can be substantially of y the character heretofore usually employed and the turning devices may be of comparatively simple construction and action, also the invention maybe readily embodied in existing m'achineryl' In the patterns represented in Figures '22,

and 23,Tthe tessels indicated by -the numeral 190 have not been turned, those indicated by 191 have been turned 45 to the left, those indicated by l92hav'e been turned45? to,the right, and those indicated byf l 93 have been turned,

What I claim and desire to secure by Let ters Patent of the UnitedSt-ates is 1..The combination in 'anapparatus fort the manu facture of; inlaid floorcloths'ifof a rotary knife cylinder;-a platen; means to,

supply a' sheet. o'f plastic material to said knife cylinder and platen to be cut .into

pattern elements; a movable member having an assembly surface to receive said pattern elements; separate means lnterposed between said knife cylinder and said assemblysurface to receive and turn certain of said pat? tern elements and dispose them on said assembly. surface in their turned positions and correct situations as components of the pattern.

2. The combination in, an apparatus for the manufacture of inlaid floorcloths, said apparatus being of the kind to which sheets of plastic material are fed and patternielements are cut from sa-idsheets, of rotary cut- "J ting means; a movable member havingan'g.

assemblyfsurface; and a'plurality of turning devices arranged to travel atthe same' surface speed as said cutting means, each of said devices being adapted to'receivea cut pattern element from said cutting means, to turn while holding said pattern element, and to forward said element to said assembly surface.

3. Apparatus as in claim 2 whereinfan intermediate cylinder is interposed between thencuttingmeans and, the turning devices.

' tQApparatus as in claim 2 wherein an intermediate cylinder is interposed between the turning devices and the assembly surface. v

15-. The combination in, an apparatus for the manufacture of inlaid floorcloths, said apparatus being of the kind to which; sheets 30f plastic material are fedand pattern elements are cut from said sheets, of rotary cut- 7 ting means; a movable member having an as-' sembly surface; a turning cylinder in mrposed between said cuttmg meansand said assembly surface, sa d turning cylinder being providedwith' a. number of plates adapt-i edto take pattern elements from said cutting means; means to I lmpart to each of said plates a. movement of rotation; means to controlthe extent of said rotation; means to transfer said pattern elements from said plates vto said assembly surface.

'6.The combination in, an apparatus for the manufacture of inlaid fioorcloths, said apparatus being of the kind to which sheets of.

plastic material are fedandpatter'n elements are cut from said sheets, of rotary cutting means; a plurality of turningdevices each comprising a plate to receive a pattern element from said cutting-means, a spindle on which each plate is mounted, and means for rotating the spindle to turn said pattern element; a moving assembly surface; and

means to take saidpattern element when thus 7 turned fromsaid plate to dispose said'pattern element on any suitablemovlng assem-'v bly surface.

- 7 ..The combinationin an apparatus forthe manufacture of inlaid floorcloths, said apparatus being of the kind to which sheets of plastic material are fed and pattern elements are cut from said sheets, of rotary cutting means; turning devices adapted to receive pattern elements from said cutting means, and carried'in a moving member-adjacent said cutting means; cams associated with saidturnlng devices on said moving member;

fixed guides arranged to co-operate with said cams to effect the turning movements of said devices; and means to remove said pattern elements from said devlces when thus turned and to dispose said pattern elements on any suitable moving'assembly surface; 7

8'. The combination in an apparatus for the manufacture of inlaid floorcloths, said apparatus being of the kindto which sheets die associated with a cam, said cylinder being rotatable about fixed cam guides'whichco-op- I erate with the cams associated'with the spindies of said plates to turn said plates and thereby to turn the pattern elements on saidv plates; and means to vremove said pattern elements from said plates when, thus turned and to dispose said pattern elements on any suitable moving assembly surface. I

9. The combination in ean apparatus for V the manufacture of inlaid floorcloths, saidapparatus being of the kind to which sheets of plastic material are fed and pattern elements are cut from said sheets, of rotary cut-v ting means; an endless travelling belt. adjacentsaid cutting means and carrying plates:

to receive cut pattern elements from 'saidcutting means, each of said platesbeing mounted on a spindle associated with, a cam, said belt being adapted to travel adjacent fixed cam guides which co'0perate with the cams associated with the spindles of said plates to turn said plates and thereby to turn the pattern elements on said plates; and means to remove said pattern elements from said plates when thus turned and to dispose said, pattern elements on any suitable moving assembly surface. 3 I I 1 o 10. In apparatus'for the manufacture of in laid floorcl'oths, said. apparatus being of the kind to which sheets of plastic material are fed and pattern elements are cut'from said sheets, rotary cutting means, a movable mem-{ .ber having an assembly surface, a plurality 'of'flexible turning devices, each of said de-. Q vices being. rotatably mounted and operable to receivea pattern element from said rotary cutting means and to turn and dispose said element on said assembly surface;

j HARRY- MONT O ERY;

,go l 

